Inwood Estates

Inwood Estates has been making wine for 30 years, but the Fredericksburg location is new. It’s right on the main highway in the middle of Texas Hill Country – very hard to miss – and very attractive and appealing from the outside. The exterior is a warm yellow-tan, with a stucco texture reminiscent of the adobe that’s so prevalent in New Mexico. Inwood’s owner and winemaker, Dan Gatlin, was one of the first winemakers, along with West Texas vineyard owner Neal Newsom, who demonstrated over a decade ago that tempranillo was the grape with the most potential in the Texas High Plains. Last year, he produced a chardonnay (a grape that has historically not been a great success in Texas) that is a ringer for good chablis — from grapes grown in Dallas County. Inwood’s range also includes an unusual blend of chardonnay and the sherry grape Palomino, and superb cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo–cabernet blends. Even with the highest prices in the state, Gatlin always sells out and every top Texas restaurant has an Inwood wine on the list.